New York, NY – U.S.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today the appointment of two key members
to her New York staff. Senator Gillibrand has named Karina Cabrera as Director
of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Gustavo Rivera as Director of Outreach. They
will be based in the Senator’s New York City office.
“I am thrilled these two very talented people have joined my
staff and will be working out of my New York City office,” said Senator
Gillibrand. “Karina has shown great leadership with her extensive work in the
non-profit arena, which coupled with her experience in city government provides
a perspective that will make her a tremendous asset to my office and to the
people of New York State. Gustavo’s rich experience in New York politics gives
him a deep understanding of the issues important to New Yorkers, and his recent
time on the Obama campaign offers a terrific set of tools that he brings to the
position.”
Karina Cabrera – Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs
A native New Yorker, Karina grew up in the Inwood/Washington
Heights area. Prior to joining Senator Gillibrand’s office, Karina Cabrera
served as Special Assistant to New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson,
Jr.. Having worked on two Presidential campaigns, most recently having served
as New York State Deputy Field Director for the Obama for America Campaign,
Karina has extensive campaign experience including several local New York
races. Karina is the Chairwomen of Latina PAC, the first Latina-focused
political action committee in New York. She is also Founder and President of
Latina Leadership Forum, a nonprofit organization that trains and cultivates
Latina leadership. Karina has previously served on a number of public and
non-profit boards, including the Women’s Leadership Forum Network, Beginning
with Children Foundation, Dominican Women’s Caucus and the Association of
Hispanics in Arts, Inc. She is completing her M.S. in Urban Policy and
Management from Milano The New School for Management and Urban
Policy, and has a B.A. in Psychology/Business/Public Relations from Mount Saint
Mary College.
Gustavo Rivera – Director of
Outreach
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Gustavo Rivera has lived in
New York City for the past eleven years. A talented political organizer, he
comes to Senator Gillibrand’s staff with a considerable amount of experience in
New York politics. Gustavo was part of the team that helped the Democrats in
the New York State Senate win the majority for the first time in decades, and
has managed field and political operations for campaigns at the local, city and
state levels. In 2008, he worked with SEIU in Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana and
Puerto Rico in helping Senator Barack Obama secure the Democratic Party’s
nomination in the Presidential election. He subsequently served the Obama for
America campaign in the general election as Constituency Director in Florida,
where he helped deliver a victory that gave Barack Obama 27 Electoral College
votes on his historic road to the Presidency. Gustavo has a B.A. in Political
Science from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus and is a
Master’s candidate in the Political Science Department at the CUNY Graduate
Center.